Steady year-over-year Memorial Day Weekend travel expected despite high gas prices

Wisconsinites are among those AAA says won’t be traveling quite has much as they did last Memorial Day weekend.

The number of people taking road trips or hopping on a plane this weekend is down slightly from 2025.

Still, more than 834,000 Wisconsinites will travel more than 50 miles from home, most of them by car.

Nick Jarmusz is the AAA Director of Public Affairs. He says while gas prices may factor into people’s decisions, it’s not always a direct correlation.

“Nationwide, we're up in terms of our projection for Memorial Day, but it's up less than a percent. Wisconsin is down, but down less than a percent. We're kind of talking about almost a flat level of travel on aggregate,” said Jarmusz. “When you look at other states, there are states that have above average gas prices that are above the national average, and they're seeing more travel than last year.”

As more people start to hit the road, AAA is encouraging drivers to be safe.

Slowing down can help save on gas and increase safety.

“Being more conscious of that and just making sure that you know everyone is safely getting to their destination, as well as saving money while doing so,” said Jarmusz.